Mounting for chassis and the like



Sept. 6, 1955 F. KUSS MOUNTING FOR CHASSIS AND THE LIKE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 6, 1954 Sept. 6, 1955 F. KUSS 2,717,188

MOUNTING FOR CHASSIS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 6, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR firharzaims m3 9;

TTORNEYS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 F. KUSS MOUNTING FOR CHASSIS AND THE LIKE Sept. 6, 1955 Filed Aug. 6, 1954 w. m w. m M MM QM I (m W W In Y. m B M \M Sept. 6, 1955 F. Kuss 2,717,188 I MOUNTING FOR CHASSIS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 6, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 vENTo Erma; ass,

United States Patent MOUNTING FOR CHASSIS AND THE LIKE Ferdinand Kuss, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application August 6, 1954, Serial No. 448,313

6 Claims. (Cl. 312-323) zontally, and can at will be turned up sidewise, pivoting about an axis adjoining either side, and latching in raised position.

A further purpose is to mount slides which move in and out on tracks on either side of the chassis, to provide a longitudinal pivot head on the top of either or preferably both of the slides, and to extend inverted L-shaped supports over the slides in longitudinal pivotal relation to the pivot head or heads, so that the chassis can be pivoted and swung up about a longitudinal axis either on the pivot head on the left or the right slide and held in raised position, the other slide suitably being pushed out of the way.

A further purpose is to provide upward extensions on the slides for engagement of latching means with the chassis in raised position.

A further purpose is to provide latches which secure the supports against pivoting when the chassis is in its forward position, and either one of which can be released to permit the chassis to pivot on the opposite support, the latch at the pivot desirably swinging with the support.

A further purpose is to provide interlock means between the supports and the track so that the supports will not move relatively inwardly with respect to the slides until the slides have moved inwardly to a predetermined position with respect to the track.

A further purpose is to mount interlocks on the slides pivoted to the slides between the ends of the interlocks and biased to a latching position in which one end of each interlock intrudes into the path of one of the supports, the other ends of the interlocks in a predetermined inward position of the slides engaging the track and deflecting the interlocks so as to permit the supports to move inward.

Further purposes appear in the specification and in the claims.

in the drawings 1 have chosen to illustrate one only of the numerous embodiments in which the invention may appear, selecting the form shown from the standpoints of convenience in illustration, satisfactory operation, and clear demonstration of the principles involved.

Figure l is a fragmentary diagrammatic front elevation illustrating the device of the invention, the front of the chassis being sectioned away.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the device of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective illustrating the track and the slide at one side of the chassis.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary enlarged elevation showing the interlock mechanism and the top latching mechanism, and partially broken away.

Figure 5 is a section on the line 55 of Figure 4.

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Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 4, with the slide further in and the interlock released.

Figure 7 is a plan section on the line 77 of Figure 4.

Figure 8 is a vertical section on the line 88 of Figure 6.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary elevation of one of the front latches with the chassis raised into vertical position.

Figure 10 is an exploded perspective of the front latch of Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a fragmentary perspective of the top latch in position about to accomplish latching.

Describing in illustration but not in limitation and referring to the drawings:

There are a number of fields in which it is desirable to mount equipment so that ready access can be obtained to both the top and the bottom at the same time, or to either the top or the bottom at a particular time as may be desired. A typical illustration is the chassis of a piece of electronic equipment, such as a radio, an industrial amplifier, a television set, or the like, or a piece of mechanical equipment, such as an instrument. It is desirable to be able to place such equipment for convenient access to the bottom as well as the top of the chassis, for purposes of original wiring, inspection, and repair.

Arrangements have been made in the past for upending the chassis, but they have generally been cumbersome and inconvenient.

The present invention makes it possible to gain access to the bottom of a chassis or other piece of equipment or the like by shifting the chassis into vertical position at will about an axis extending longitudinally adjacent either one of the sides of the chassis. This permits convenient working on the bottom or the bottom and top or end of the chassis by a man who may be either left handed or right handed, or who may find it more convenient to gain access to a particular part of the chassis by turning it to the left or to the right. At the same time the parts of the supporting mechanism which are not needed can be pushed out of the way.

In accordance with the invention slides move in and out on tracks longitudinally and horizontally adjoining the sides of the chassis. One or preferably both of the slides has at the top a longitudinal pivot head, and supports extending longitudinally at the two sides of the chassis make longitudinal pivot engagement with either or both of the slides at the pivot heads.

The slides desirably have transversely arcuate longitudinal slots engaging the pivot heads and arcuate portions of the supports are adapted to move into one of the slots when the chassis is turned up on its side.

There are desirably latch means operating between the chassis and either of the slides to hold the chassis in position turned up on its side either to the left or to the right.

There are desirably also front latches on the slides which unless released hold the supports into engagement with the slides, but either of which can be released to turn the chassis up on its side. The front latches desirably have arcuate slots which are concentric with the pivot heads and which receive lugs on the supports.

The mechanism desirably also includes interlocks between the track and the supports so that the supports will not move inward along the slides until released by movement of the slides to a predetermined position inward.

Vertical supports 24 and 21 are provided respectively at the front and back of the space in which the chassis is to be supported, on either side of the chassis. On each side of the chassis the front and back standards are connected by a generally horizontal lower rail 22 secured to the standards and a relatively spaced generally horizontal upper rail 23 likewise secured to the standards. The

lower rails are suitably at the same level on the two sides and the upper rails are similarly on the same but a higher level at the two sides. The lower rails desirably comprise inverted angles having their flanges outwardly disposed as shown best in Figures 5 and 8, and the upper rails desirably comprise upright angles 24 having the flanges outwardly directed, and carrying inverted angles 25 secured to the upward angles by welding at 26 and having flanges 27 projecting toward the chassis to engage interlocks as later explained.

On each side of the chassis a slide 28 is slidably mounted on the rails. The slide is preferably a complex extrusion as seen for example in Figures 5 and 8, having a vertical Web 30 which near the bottom carries an inward flange 31 extending longitudinally, and at the interior end the inward flange carries a suitably circular cross section pivot head 32 at the top and a downwardly projecting rim 33.

Above the pivot head 32 over the rearward portion of the slide a longitudinal inward flange 34 extends in spaced relation to the pivot head, but toward the front for a considerable distance as best seen in Figure 3 the flange 34 is removed. In between the pivot head 32 and the web and extending down in cross section below the pivot head 32 there is a longitudinally extending hinge slot 35 which is arcuate in cross section as best seen in Figures 5 and 8.

Forward and rearward rollers 36 are pivoted on pivots 37 secured to the slides and the rollers ride between the lower and upper tracks, and are prevented from leaving the tracks laterally by flanges 38 which engage on opposite sides of the tracks. In the forward position of the slides as shown in Figure 3, the front rollers pass forward of the end of the upper track but the rollers remain in engagement with the lower track. The rear rollers do not leave the upper and lower tracks.

Brackets 40 are fastened on the insides of the slides and extend upwardly and carry at their outsides stop dogs 41 which in limiting forward position of the sides engage stops 42 which are secured to the front uprights. Thus the slides are not able to move far enough forward for their rear rollers to leave the space between the upper and lower tracks, and therefore there is no danger that the device will fall forward for lack of support of the top of the rear rollers.

The chassis 43 is conveniently of box construction, and will suitably have mechanism such as vacuum tubes, capacitors, inductors, resistors or the like, or shafts, bearings, gears and levers, mounted on its normal top surface 44, and wiring for the same carriage under its bottom surface 45. Neither the mechanism on its top surface nor the wiring on its bottom surface are shown in the drawing.

The chassis also has a forward wall 46, a rear wall 47, and side walls 48.

Secured to the chassis at the outside of each of its side walls 48 is a support 50 which has, as best seen in Figure 10, an inverted longitudinal surface 51 which is arcuate in cross section and engages over and forms a pivot on a longitudinal axis with each of the pivot heads 32. The support 50 is suitably shorter in front anf back dimension than the slide, so that it can slide relatively along each slide and either remain under the slide flange 34 or come forward beyond the slide flange 34.

Each of the supports at its forward end has a locking 3 lug 52 extending beyond the support. On the forward end of each slide a front latch 53 is pivoted on the longitudinal axis of the pivot head by a pivot pin 54. The latch has an arcuate slot 55 on the same are center as the pivot which receives the lug 52 and in horizontal position with the latch upright and the slot facing inward as shown in Figure 1, each latch holds the support against its corresponding pivot head. A torsional spring 56, best seen in Figure 10, engages at one end in an opening 57 on the latch and at the other end in an opening 58 on the end of the slide, and is biased to move the right-hand latch counterclockwise and the left-hand latch clockwise as seen in Figure 1. When, however, one of the latches is released and the chassis pivots around the pivot head on the opposite slide, the opposite latch is deflected to the horizontal position shown in Figure 9 by the lug 52, which is in the middle of the end of the support. At the same time the end 60 of the arcuate bearing portion of the support travels into the arcuate slot 35 and holds the support and the pivot head into pivoting engagement like a hinge.

On opposite sides of the back the chassis carries upper latch brackets 61 which mount upper latches 62 pivoted at 63 between their ends and biased toward latching position by gravity. The brackets 40 carry near the top forward extensions 64 and the latch brackets have outward extensions 65 which engage behind inward prongs 66 on the forward extensions so that the ends of the latches can extend into latching slots 67 on the brackets. This serves to hold the chassis locked on its side in the position best seen in Figure 9.

Each of the slides at a predetermined position on its flange 34 carries an upwardly extending pivot bracket 68, best seen in Figures 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, and the pivot bracket pivots at 70 an interlock 71. The pivot is between the ends of the interlock. The interlock has a locking end 72 which protrudes through a slot 73 in the flange 34 of the slide, and in locking position as shown in Figure 4 is introduced into the path of the adjoining support St) to prevent the support from sliding rearward over the pivot head of the slide.

At the remote end the interlock has a cam projection 74 which is generally of circular form as used in Figures 4 and 6, and when the slide moves inwardly engages the cam flange 27 of the top rail, deflecting the interlock so as to move the end 72 out of locking position. Each interlock is urged toward locking position by a torsion spring 75 which suitably includes a spiral wrapped around the pivot and ends respectively engaged at 76 in a notch beneath the interlock on the side toward the cam head and at 77 against the bottom of the interlock pivot bracket.

In operation, the chassis for installation, test, repair or the like, comes from the assembly line, the receiving department or other suitable source, and if not already pro vided with the supports 50, these are fastened as by spot welding or bolting to the sides of the chassis. The front latches 53 are then swung outward, and the chassis is pushed into position on the mounting by sliding the supports 50 endwise over the pivot heads of the slides to position the chassis. When the chassis is to be used in upright horizontal position, it may be pushed relatively backward to the rearmost position, retracting the slides, or the slides and the chassis may be pulled forward until the slides reach their forward limiting position in which the stop dog 41 engages the stop 42 at each side, and the supports come forward into engagement with the front latches 53.

At any time that it is desired to shift the chassis up on its side either to the left or to the right, with the slides and chassis pulled fully forward, the front latch 53 at the side remote from that at which the chassis is to pivot is opened or pulled outward to release the lug 52, and then the chassis is pivoted on the horizontal pivot head 32 to swing it into vertical position as shown in Figure 9, bring- 1 ing the corresponding latch 62 into latching engagement in the latching slot 67 of the adjoining bracket. The slide which does not form the pivot support can then retract out of the way until it is desired to lower the chassis to horizontal position.

When the chassis is raised, the arcuate end 60 of its support engages in the arcuate hinge slot 35 of the slide holding the hinge engagement firmly so that with the combination of the hinge engagement at the bottom and the latch engagement at the top rear, it is possible to perform light manufacturing and assembly operations on the chassis in that position. It should be noted that the operator or group of operators can gain access to either the normal bottom or top of the chassis by simply operating on one or the other of the vertical sides in the position of Figure 9, and if it is desired to manipulate, as for example by threading wires through an opening from one side to the other, the operator can reach around and hold one hand on each side of the chassis.

it will be evident that the supports 50 extend in under the projecting flange 34 of the slide slightly beyond the chassis at the rear when the chassis is in forward position as shown in Figure 4. This overhanging by the flange 34 is a protection against rocking of the supports up at the back when the chassis is in horizontal position.

Since the chassis turns up only 90, the rearward protruding end 50 of the support has suflicient freedom to turn up 90 in raising the chassis to the position of Fig ure 9 without the necessity of releasing the latch and pushing the slide rearward beyond this point. It will be evident however that if desired the latch can be released and the slide pushed rearwardly sufficiently to carry the flange 34 on the pivot side to a position rearward of the support 50.

When it is desired to restore the chassis to horizontal position, it is merely necessary to pull out the opposite slide, if it has been retracted, and then release the latch 62 and rotate the chassis until the support 50 engages the pivot head of the opposite slide. In order to assist in operation, the latch is provided with an upper cam face 78 which is deflected automatically by the support 50 as it comes down.

In order to remove the chassis from the mounting it is merely necessary to swing the front latches 53 outward and then pull the chassis forward or lift it up off the slides.

In view of my invention and disclosure variations and modifications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benefits of my invention without copying the structure shown, and I, therefore, claim all such insofar as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a mounting including a chassis, slides on either side of the chassis, rails extending longitudinally adjoining the slides and means on the slides guided on the rails, the combination which comprises a pivot head extending longitudinally at the top of one of the slides, supports on the sides of the chassis extending up over the slides and at the one slide engaging over the pivot head in pivotal position on a longitudinal axis and latch means between the chassis and the one slide holding the chassis in a position tilted up on its side pivoted on the pivot head.

2. A mounting according to claim 1, in which there is a pivot head on the top of each slide, each of the supports pivots on the pivot head and latch means are provided between the chassis and each slide.

3. A support according to claim 2, in combination with interlocks pivoted between their ends on the respective slides, biased to position one end into engagement with the supports to prevent the supports from moving rearward when the other ends of the interlocks are beyond track engagement and the other ends of the interlocks in one position engaging the track and deflecting the one end out of the path of the supports.

4. A mounting according to claim 2, there being lugs on the forward ends of the supports, and latch means pivoted on the forward ends of the slides, concentric with the pivot heads, and having arcuate slots receiving the lugs, either latch in one position releasing the lug to let the chassis pivot about the opposite pivot head.

5. A mounting according to claim 1, in combination with interlock means between one support and the corresponding tracks locking the support against movement rearward along the corresponding slide until the slide has moved inward a predetermined distance along the track.

6. A mounting according to claim 1, in which the one slide has a longitudinal slot of arcuate cross section on the outside of the pivot head, and the corresponding support has an arcuate lip which, on turning the chassis on the side, engages in slot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,007,208 Johnson Oct. 31, 1911 2,486,764 Singer Nov. 1, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 374,798 Germany Apr. 28, 1923 

